‘We’re Buzzing To Be Back In Kingspan Stadium’

Ireland kicked off the 2024/25 season with a six try victory against Australia at Kingspan Stadium back in September. That match not only marked the official start of the IRFU 150 Celebrations but also created a surge of excitement that was carried through the WXV1 a few weeks later.

Ulster and Ireland star Fiona Tuite, who has been named in a 6/2 replacements bench for Saturday’s Guinness Women’s Six Nations clash with France, says the the squad are buzzing to get back to the Belfast venue to kick off the Championship.

Adding to the buzz around the game is the news that singer Lyra will perform at half time and there will be plenty of pre-match family fun in the build up to the first Women’s international of a hugely exciting year.

The Dubliner has had to show plenty of resilience to get to this point, with her early career stalled by broken ankle and foot injuries. She was also on the frontline during the Covid-19 pandemic as a medical physiotherapist at the Ulster Hospital.

Coming from an athletics and Gaelic football background, her focus turned to rugby in 2014 when she was called up to the Ireland Under-18 Sevens squad. The team won the European U-18 Sevens Plate that year, with Tuite playing alongside two future senior  internationals, Kathryn Dane and Stacey Flood.

Following her bad run of luck with injuries, she began to make progress in the 15s game with Dublin University and Old Belvedere, firstly as a back-three player. In more recent seasons, a move to the back row, and then the second row, has seen her flourish with ‘Belvo and Ulster respectively. She made her senior international debut at the 2023 WXV3 against Colombia.